World News Quick Take

Agencies

IRAN

Cat may head to space

The country’s hunt for its next animal astronaut may turn to the distinctive and locally named Persian cat, a senior space program official, Mohammed Ebrahimi, said on Monday. The report by the official IRNA news agency comes seven months after the country claimed it launched a monkey out of Earth’s atmosphere and successfully returned it home. Ebrahimi said Iran’s next space capsule could carry a Persian cat, a long-haired, flat-faced breed named after the country’s former name of Persia. The report said a mouse and rabbit are also under consideration.

UNITED STATES

Celebrities pose Web danger

If you are curious about Lily Collins and head to the Internet to find out, beware — McAfee has ranked the actress as the most dangerous celebrity to search for online. Collins — who starred in movies such as Mirror, Mirror and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones — posed the biggest risk of landing on a malicious site, according to the computer security company; last year Emma Watson topped the list. Female celebrities were the overwhelming lure to malware. Avril Lavigne, Sandra Bullock, Kathy Griffin and Zoe Saldana rounded out the top five; Mad Men star Jon Hamm was the only man in the top 10. A person could be led to malware after doing a general search and clicking on dubious links, but risks increased when searchers added phrases like “free apps” or “nude photos.”

TURKEY

Syrian helicopter shot down

A fighter jet shot down a Syrian military helicopter on Monday after it entered the country’s airspace and ignored repeated warnings to leave, an official said. The helicopter strayed 2km over the border, but crashed inside Syria after being hit by missiles fired from the jet, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said in Ankara. Arinc said he did not have any information on the fate of the Syrian pilots, but Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdul-Rahman said rebel fighters captured one of the pilots, while the fate of the other one was unclear.

RUSSIA

Lawyer speaks of Snowden

US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden is living under guard at a secret location, but is able to travel incognito and is expecting family visits, his lawyer in the country said in excerpts from a televised interview published on Monday by news agencies. “No one is being told his place of residence. This is done on his request because we understand that the level of danger is quite high,” Anatoly Kucherena told RT TV in an interview, the Interfax news agency reported ahead of the broadcast. Snowden has remained hidden from view since he was granted temporary asylum on Aug. 1. “He walks around. He can travel. He does travel, because he is interested in our history,” Kucherena said.